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Monday, December 1, 2008

Don't let the price of gas fool you ...

Before I get started on today's post, I'd like to suggest that you visit one of our bloggy friends: Water Once a Week. PlantBuddy has posted an excellent article on "green" giving this holiday season. She has some excellent ideas for living gifts. You can read her article here.

OK ... on to today's subject:

The price of gas, in our little town, is under $1.80/gallon. Not long ago it was over $4.00/gallon. I'm not sure what has caused the reduction in price. Some say that we, the consumers, are being manipulated into buying bigger, gas guzzling cars ... and well ... the "Big 3" have been begging for a bail out recently so ... that idea isn't totally without merit. However it happened, gas prices have dropped.

When the prices were at their highest, we all started looking at ways to reduce our gas consumption. We considered public transportation ... we planned our errands to make the most of a trip ... we stayed close to home instead of taking off on long driving vacations. We maintained our cars ... filled the tires appropriately ... and used cruise control ... all in an effort to make the most of each drop of gas. We did all of this because it was just too expensive to drive our cars. But guess what ... it's still too expensive to drive our cars. The cost is to our environment and our health.

Gasoline is a non-renewable resource. That means ... once it's gone, it's gone for good. And that day is rapidly approaching. At one time, they talked about running out of oil many generations into the future ... so far away that no one considered it to be a threat ... not even a remote threat. Now, just a few years later, they say it may happen within our lifetime. Think about all the ways we use oil and then imagine the day that there just isn't any. It will totally change life as we know it.

Even if one is a skeptic and feels that the chances of running out of oil are remote ... it cannot be denied that gas run automobiles pollute. We're talking greenhouse gas emissions here ... those gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. We're also talking air quality. Have you noticed how many more asthma cases there are these days and how many more people seem to have allergies? Pollution carries a high cost.

So here's the thing ... don't let the price of gas fool you into believing that it is no longer necessary to conserve. It is now more important than ever to conserve gas. We simply can't afford not to.